Quoting: Shibbal18
Mittelstadt is 20 and has 12 points at 2c with bad linemates. Strome is 25, has been on 2 teams this season and only has 11. Yet you want to put him on the same line that Mittlestadt has been on and expect a better result? Hasnt Stromes issue also been skating, which is a huge part of this system. I just dont see how it makes sense. As I said though, let Namestnikov shoulder the 2c responsibilities and give Mittelstadt a chance to earn that spot from the 3c position (which ironically imo has better wingers to fit his style). Less pressure on those kids, I think will get more out of him and we dont just give up on a promising center to throw him on a wing somewhere
Stome is not a blazer by any means, he's an average to above average skater like a Reinhart.
"Strome has decent size, standing at 6’1” and weighing 200 pounds. “He’ll both give and take a hit to make a play,” Edmonton Journal’s David Staples wrote. “He’s not a heavy hitter but he uses his body well to try to win pucks in battles. He’s got more grit than I had expected, a pleasant surprise. He lacks the speed to get in fast on the forecheck, like you might see from a Zack Kassian, but he’s a persistent checker.”
He skates with average speed. He doesn’t have elite or game-changing speed, maybe not even noticeable speed, but he likely has good footwork and skates efficiently. This is different from the prototypical young Ranger forward, but maybe that’s a good thing"
He has 9 in 23 with the Rangers. 11 pts on the season, he struggled badly in Edmonton so the majority of his production has been after the trade ton NY.
Im not expecting a 50 point player, but for the cost it will take to get him, and the fact that I can probably package him with another player, i'll gladly take him here as a middle six center for the rest of the year, and probably my third line center next season, or he moves over to RW. He and Namestnikov are still an upgrade in the middle six this season.
Long term, Mittelstadt will hopefully be the second line center. And we're also not putting him on the wing either because we have no other options at center, literally nobody. If we never trade for Ryan O'Reilly three years ago, we probably develop Reinhart as a center more aggressively. Right now he is lost, his possession numbers are ****, and he is heavily sheltered. Most nights we are not winning much of anything with Mittelstadt playing 15-18 minutes a night right now. Thats where we are at.
You guys need to stop putting the p***y on a pedestal with Mittelstadt. Just because he needs to be managed and sheltered right now does not mean someone is calling him a bust. He came into the season with the expectations to produce like Pettersson and the reality is, that's not where he is right now and needs a lot more time.